The 5th Annual Agriculture and Food Conference was held at the Bristol County Agricultural High School in Dighton, MA on February 25, 2012. Co-sponsored by the Southeastern Massachusetts Agricultural Partnership (SEMAP) and the Bristol County Conservation District, the event brought over 200 local farmers and members of the public together for an information-packed range of 18 workshops geared toward both professional farmers and local food-focused members of the community, plus a special series of workshops on organic practices and three youth sessions for children ages 9-12. The session opened with remarks by Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR) commissioner who is from Southeastern Massachusetts. The remainder of the day included a variety of resource tables, workshops, a seed swap, and a locally-sourced lunch by Green Gal Catering. Much of the conference focused on ways of strengthening the supply of locally-produced foods. For more information, contact SEMAP's executive director Bridget Alexander at 401-207-4516 or program director Sarah Cogswell at 508-542-0434.

(Top row) Massachusetts state senator Michael Rodrigues and Fredrick Dabney, who is on MDAR's Agricultural Lands Preservation Committee, listen as Bristol County Agricultural High School Superintendent/Director Krista Paynton and Bridget Alexander, Executive Director of SEMAP, welcome conference attendees. (Middle row, left) Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources Commissioner Scott Soares addresses the audience. (Middle row, right) University of Massachusetts Extension Nutrition Education Program project leader Pat Bebo greets Senator Rodriques as Derek Christianson of Brix Bounty Farm in Dartmouth looks on. (Bottom row, left) Commissioner Soares talks with Terri Lawton of Foxboro Cheese. (Bottom row, center) Jennifer DuBois of the Trustees of Reservations begins a workshop on leasing land for farmers. (Bottom row, right) Will Bonsall of the Scatterseed Project teaches a workshop on making soil more productive.